1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a facsimile machine, and particularly to a facsimile machine capable of conducting a reduction processing of received image data or image data read out to conduct a copying operation.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, facsimile machines have been widely used, and their wide use has led to the facsimile machines having high functions. For example, the facsimile machine has not only a function of transmitting and receiving image data of an original in a standard mode which corresponds to a low resolution, but also a function of transmitting image data in a fine or super fine mode which correspond to higher resolution. Further, facsimile machines which are provided with a copying function and a reducing function have been practically used.
In this kind of facsimile machine, when received image data whose resolution corresponds to any one of the standard mode, the fine mode or the super fine mode are reduced, for example, using a reduction ratio of 80% to record reduced image data on a recording sheet, the received image data are stored in a reception memory, and a number of line data constituting the image data are first subjected to a thin-out processing for thinning out the image data of one line in an auxiliary scanning direction. The reduced image data which has been subjected to the thin-out processing are also subjected to a thin-out processing for thinning out dot data in a main scanning direction. The reduced image data which have been subjected to the thin-out processing in the auxiliary and main scanning directions as described above are prepared as recording data at the designated resolution and the recording data are recorded on the recording sheet.
As described above, in the conventional facsimile machine which is provided with the copying function and the reducing function and can transmit and receive image data of an original at a plurality of resolutions, for a recording operation under data reduction, a number of received one-line image data are subjected to thin-out processing in accordance with a reduction ratio in the auxiliary and main scanning directions line by line to finally prepare recording data and record it on a recording sheet. Particularly for a reducing operation of standard-pitch image data which corresponds to a low resolution, the weight of the one-line image data to the whole image data is increased and, thus, the plural one-line image data are required to be thinned out in the auxiliary scanning direction in accordance with the reduction ratio. Therefore, there is a problem that image quality of the recorded image is deteriorated and moire occurs.